WFPC2 imaging of the starburst galaxy NGC 5253

A high-resolution F606W band image has been obtained with the WFPC2 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope of the unusual starburst galaxy NGC 5253. This is a dwarf elliptical galaxy with a very young starburst in progress. The HST image is compared to ground-based data in the H alpha and 2 cm wavebands to draw correlations between the high-resolution structures detected in the HST image and the broader, lower resolution structures of the ground-based data, The optical image is also compared to a previous FOC image in the UV obtained before the refurbishment. The comparisons help reveal the relative ages of the clusters which populate the center of the galaxy. The bright, central cluster seems to have the properties of a ''super star cluster'' which may be a globular cluster in the process of formation. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.